Run
by TempusLiberi
Summary: On a planet covered in ash and debris, the Doctor, Amy and Rory discover a plastic woman who can only think to run. But run from what? The answer may not be pleasant, but the Doctor's not leaving until he finds out what it is. Title up for debate.
1. She needed to Run

_Run. _

There were so many thoughts, so many words, pictures and ideas flickering through her head. Yet that one word (her first word, the only word) was the only one that stood out.

-**associated with the classic image of the English**-the Latin word "bulga" or- To limit the file size of the WAV file -**dry-nosed primates** -_ranching off from the gill arches_-

Something was coming, something was chasing her, and she needed to get away. She needed to run. It was all she ever did, her purpose.

_-The two are forced to trust each other - learned in the law; as an attorney- _approximately 6,000 to 7,000 languages-

_Don't let them catch you._

The voice appeared sometimes, before the words drowned it out. It was important, the voice, she knew it was, she listened to it. She needed to run.

-legal theories and knowledge-is the most widely used- date back to Sumerian times- _I threw a rock_ -**_Homo sapiens_** are primates of the family Hominidae-

The words were in her head. She needed to protect them. Important. Something was important. She needed to run.

**_-the first edition was published in 1891_**-A distinction may also be made as to its coverage- _had arisen from the speech of the educated_- **the meaning of the sentence as a whole**-

She needed to _run_.


	2. Planet of the Rocks

The TARDIS landed with a thump.

"Where are we?"

"Absolutely no idea!"

"Is…that a good thing?"

"It's brilliant! Think about it, there could be anything out there, gleaming crystal caverns, swirling nebulas, the lost colony of the Barbara, planet of the stars. Oh! There could be a little shop! I love little shops!"

"Or it could be planet of the rocks."

"What?" The trio leaned out of the TARDIS doors, Amy's red hair falling on her husband's face. "No, ah, not again! Well that completely ruined the moment, thanks a lot Pond."

"What moment?"

"Right, TARDIS brought us here for a reason, might as well look around. See what wonders the planet of the rocks has in store for us." The Doctor jumped out of his ship his two human companions quickly following suit.

"It's a planet covered in rocks," Rory gestured at the hills of small rocks surrounding their landing site. "What wonders could it have?"

"You'd be surprised. I visited many planets like this in my younger years. A lot more than you'd expect actually, the TARDIS might be attracted to them. Anyway, the old girl hasn't failed me yet."

"Not very nice to look at though," Amy kicked a rock near her foot as the Doctor ran his sonic over the area, "And certainly not Rio."

"Oh, we'll get you to Rio eventually, Pond." He held a stone up to eye level. "We've got bigger things to think about."

"What could be so interesting about a bunch of rocks?"

"These aren't rocks." Amy was cut off mid protest as she saw the underside of the 'rock' she had kicked over.

"That's a face." Rory stated with wide eyes fixed on the equally shocked expression on the round object. "That's a human face, a human head!" Amy quickly surveyed the area, trying not to look too long at the rocks that were starting to look more and more like body parts.

"Doctor?"

"It's plastic," He stated, brushing the grey covering off the hand he had picked up, "Mostly plastic, anyway. Plastic covered in a layer of ash and dirt, a great deal of it. Not to densely packed though. Must have happened recently."

"It's very lifelike," Amy pointed out as she nudged it with her foot, the 'skin' reacting like flesh. "And kind of creepy."

"Of course it is. I think we've established that just because it's plastic doesn't mean it's not alive. This bit still has some electromagnetic energy. It was definitely moving at some point. Not so much now though."

"So if it was alive," Amy said. "What happened?"

"That's what I want to know, but before that," The Doctor spun around, "Do either of you feel rumbling?" Before either of them could respond a woman rushed between them kicking up dust and revealing some of the plastic body parts for what they were.

"Run!" She cried as the rumbling increased and the time travelers saw the source of her panic. A machine similar in size and design to a bulldozer was speeding toward them and didn't appear to be stopping.

"Run!" The Doctor repeated, he and his companions quickly doing said action, all of them trying to ignore the crunching sounds of plastic bones breaking. The woman ahead of them was lagging, understandably exhausted from what was an undoubtedly long journey. Amy and the Doctor dodged to the left behind a pile of what appeared to be rubble. Rory grabbed the woman and followed suit. The group barely breathed as the machine passed them by.

"Well, that was close."

"You think?"

"What was that thing?"

"More importantly," The Doctor turned to the woman who seemed a bit startled by the situation, "Hello I'm the Doctor and these are the Ponds, Amy and Rory. What's your name?"

"Name? I'm," The woman paused staring into space as her almost nonexistent eyebrow began to twitch, "I'm, I'm, I'm the, t-the, not, not," her head jolted forward causing her short dark hair to fall into her eyes.

"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked, approaching her hesitantly. Her head snapped up.

"Run," She stated, her blank eyes looking nowhere. Suddenly she jumped to her feet and started to run away, only being held back by Rory's arms that were still securely around her. "Run," She struggled against Rory's grasp trying to do said action. "Run!"

"Calm down," Rory exclaimed, nearly losing his grip, "No more running."

"Run, Run, Run," The woman repeated, seemingly unable to come up with another word.

"Let me see her," The Doctor said kneeling down to look the stranger in the eye. They were hazel, seemingly normal, but there was something behind them, a vast sum of knowledge. He put his hands to her temples and closed his eyes. She instantly stilled. "My you have a lot of doors." The Doctor noted, "Kind of cramped, almost as if-" He jumped back, the woman falling limp as the Time Lord struggled with the new information in his head.

"Doctor?" Amy said worriedly, rushing to his side as her husband checked on their guest.

"There was, oh my," He shook his head, "Her head is crammed with information, too much information. She's suppressing most of it, but it's almost taking her over. It's a wonder she has enough room to even think to run."

"Well she's out of it now." Rory carefully laid the girl on the ground. "Can't you do something?"

"I could try and erase some of it but I got the feeling she wouldn't like that."

"Well we need to think of something," Amy stated, "That thing could be back at any minute."

"Get her to the TARDIS." The Doctor said. "We'll be able to do more for her there."


	3. Extraneous Cerebral Expository

"What's that?"

"An Extraneous Cerebral Expository,"

"A what?"

"A thing I just made up." The Doctor ran around the medical room connecting wires and odd bits to the alien device he'd just invented and the spaghetti strainer he'd placed on the strange woman's head.

"Is that going to help her?"

"It should."

"What does it do?"

"You know how you use an external hard drive when your computer memory is full?"

"Yeah."

"Well it's nothing like that, but if it helps…" The Doctor connected two wires and the system sprung to life, flashing lights and making whirring sounds as it started. "Here we go!" He ran to a screen hooked up to his device.

"Is it working?"

"It's trying to filter out the unnecessary bits. Poor girl's head was full to bursting. Can't tell exactly what the unnecessary bits are I'm afraid. She'll have to decide that when she wakes up."

"Who is she?" Amy stared at the woman's face, wondering why it seemed so familiar.

"No idea," The Doctor flicked his sonic up to study its readings. "But she's plastic. She's made out of living plastic just like the body parts outside."

"So those used to be people like her." Rory stated, "And they were ripped into pieces." The Doctor jumped up.

"Right, Pond, you're with me. Rory, stay with this one, she'll be up in an hour. We are going to get to the bottom of this mess or my name's Georgie."

"Georgie?"

"I kind of like it, actually. It's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Why am I staying here?" Rory asked.

"Well we can't just leave a stranger on the TARDIS and besides you're a nurse aren't you? Do nursey things, you'll be fine."

"But-"

"Rory the Roman, this is so very very important I cannot even tell you. I'm trusting you with this, nobody could do this better than you." The nurse stared at the Doctor's serious expression and nodded hesitantly. "Brilliant! Come on Amelia, things to do, places to be!" Rory sighed as the duo walked off. He looked down at the woman lying on the bed and took in the state of her clothing. They might as well have been rags.

"She'll be out for an hour, the Doctor said," He pulled up her sleeve and found several scrapes and bruises on her arm. "Well you're a bit beat up. I'll see what I can do."


	4. Start

**First author's note: At this point I would just like to mention that I am an American and while I do watch a lot of British shows and movies, I am not completely knowledgeable of the differences between British English and American English. If you are aware of any such differences that I have overlooked please point them out. The descriptions and other text are permitted to sound a bit American, but I would like for all characters to speak with the words they would actually use. **

* * *

"Where do we start?" The terrain around them was bumpy and grey. There wasn't much to discern one pile of dirty things from another. There were plastic body parts and debris scattered across the landscape, forming small hills occasionally. The Doctor spun around, sonic in hand. Amy looked towards the tracks of the machines they'd spotted earlier.

"We should see where those things went," She stated. The Doctor beamed.

"After you Pond!" As the duo walked it became more obvious that they had landed in something like a trash heap. The various odds and ends sticking out of the mounds around them could easily be labeled as useless. "I was on a planet like this once," the Doctor commented as he pulled out an object about the size of a hairdryer, "Less ash of course. Got a bit stranded. I had to create a teleport and swap places with a boy for a bit. You know, I wasn't even invited to my own funeral." Amy decided not to comment.

"Is the entire planet like this?"

"Could be, wouldn't bet on it though. That girl had to come from somewhere." The path swerved between two piles and stopped abruptly on the other side. "Well that's odd."

"Do you think they started flying?"

"Good thinking, but no. There's no technology in this era that could take off without leaving at least some form of evidence."

"I thought you said you didn't know where we were."

"Time Lord, Amy. We have time in our name for a reason." She rolled her eyes.

"So where'd they go then?" She asked, "They couldn't have just vanished."

"That is a very good question." The Doctor picked up some of the ash and examined it as he let it fall out of his hand, some of it catching in the breeze. "That's not right."

"What?"

"This ash is different from the stuff where we landed," He took a sniff of the powder left in his hand. "It smells like," He licked it and grimaced. "Yep, Sulfur, Carbon and Potassium nitrate, that's gunpowder, that's definitely gunpowder."

"Gunpowder," Amy repeated in alarm.

"Some of it anyway, it's mostly carbon and some calcium, the actual ash might have been wood, but there's still gunpowder in there, not a whole lot but some." The Doctor frowned. "It could only have been put here moments ago. Those machines wouldn't have put that here so-" The rest of his sentence was cut off by the sound a massive explosion. Amy and the Doctor shared a look before rushing up a nearby hill in the direction the sound came from. What they saw nearly left them speechless.

Redcoats, English Redcoats that had clearly just been attacked by a World War II style tank. The wounded were closest to the crater, their bodies covered in shrapnel and large gashes carved in their flesh. Yet for all the injuries there wasn't one drop of blood.

"Plastic," The Doctor breathed as the Englishmen scattered, "They're all plastic." There were limbs, heads, and chests strewn across the battlefield, some still showing signs of life, all clearly chopped off by some sort of sword or blown apart by some weapon. In the crater itself there was a rather large puddle of melted plastic. The Doctor looked towards the ground and noticed a distinct line between the ashy landscape they were on, and the grass of the battlefield.

"Shouldn't we be moving away from the violence?" Amy asked as the Doctor cautiously moved forward.

"There's no need to." He picked up an object on the ground and threw it towards the field. It disintegrated directly above the line. "Force field, keeps them in and us out. I wouldn't go touching it if I were you. Nothing they do can get to us." He looked back towards the battle and frowned. "Is that Napoleon in a tank?"

"Wait, Doctor," Amy said, "If nothing can get through that barrier, how did the gunpowder get over here?" There was a clicking sound behind them. They turned around and suddenly the Doctor was looking down the barrel of a musket.

"Put your hands up where I can see em'" The American cowboy ordered as his companion, a similarly rough looking gentleman, pointed his pistol at Amy. "Now!"

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**Any questions posted as a review or a PM to me will be answered.  
**


	5. The Pony Express

"Surely there's no need for violence."

"Do I look like I was born yesterday?" The mustached cowboy said, "Trust no one you don't already know, and I sure as hell haven't seen you two before."

"Fair point. What do you think Amy? Fair point?"

"I think it doesn't matter if we've got _guns_ pointed at us."

"Just because they're rude doesn't mean that we have to be."

"Shut yer traps!"

"They do have a point, Billy," The somewhat cleaner man stated. The man, Billy, rolled his eyes.

"We're in the middle of a warzone, Johnny, there's no time for niceties."

"I think there's always time for-"

"Alright, I'm taking Mr. Chatterbox over here. You lead the lady. We need to get back to camp before the next storm hits."

"Storm?" Amy checked the sky, there weren't any clouds.

"Dust storm," Her captor, Johnny, looked nervously at the planet's sun. "Hits every day 'round high noon."

"That's oddly specific. How long has this been going on?" Billy shoved the Doctor with his gun.

"We'll be askin the questions here, now git." The two cowboys lead them back past where the tracks had stopped, over another hill and into what looked like a capsized van buried under ash and debris. The inside was surprisingly roomy, no doubt due to how Billy and Johnny had completely gutted the vehicle, stripping it of all the seats, wiring and whatnot, leaving it literally a shell of its former self. The only things it contained were a few piles of canned food, canteens and ammunition for the men's respective weapons. Johnny shut the door securely once they were inside, even bothering to brace it with a (rather unhelpful) piece of wood.

"This is a lovely place you have here," The Doctor ignored Billy's glare.

"It's a work in progress. Who are you?"

"We could ask you the same thing." Amy stated with crossed arms.

"You could also get shot."

"Johnny Fry and Billy Richardson at your service ma'am," Johnny smiled at them, also ignoring Billy's displeasure. "Sorry for being rough with ya we've had a rough time since we got here and Billy's been on edge."

"They killed Gus and Charlie!"

"We don' know that for sure."

"Oh, so they vanished then?"

"I told ya my theory."

"And your theory is codwash."

"I didn' say it'd make sense."

"Well good cause it don't."

"Theory?" The Doctor cut in before the argument could continue. Johnny beamed and Billy resumed glaring.

"The idjit thinks we were snatched by… What'dja call it John?"

"Space aliens!"

"Space aliens,"

"Well that's a good theory, if a bit off." The Doctor quickly scanned them with his sonic, confirming his suspicions. "Though I wouldn't say 'snatched.'"

"What's that-"

"Sonic screwdriver," He didn't have time for these questions, "What's the last thing you two can remember before you woke up here?" Billy stared at him questioningly.

"I was just about to go on my next run," Johnny stated, "I had a mochila ready for California. Billy here was lecturing me about safety procedures."

"Idjit nearly shot himself the other day."

"So you both remember the same moment?" The Doctor tapped thoughtfully at his chin, "Were Charlie and Gus there?"

"We always have a get together before one of us goes on a run." Billy stated.

"A run?" Amy asked, having heard the same term used twice.

"Yes, ma'am, you're looking at the first rider of the Pony Express." Johnny stuck out his chest. "Fastest cross country mailing service in the US of A." The door rattled and the group suddenly noticed that all you could see outside the window was a cloud of ash and dust.

"Storm's started," Billy checked the door to make sure it was secure.

"It does this every day at noon?"

"On the dot."

"And that didn't strike you as odd?"

"We've been too busy 'voidin' them patrols and survivin' in this junk heap care much about the weather." Johnny claimed.

"Patrols?"

"Big metal things. John recons they're aliens." Billy stared at them intently. "We told you our story now who the hell are you?"

"I'm the Doctor," It was the Doctor's turn to stare, this time sympathetically, "And I'm sorry, but you're not real."

* * *

**Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**If anyone's interested Johnny and Billy were real people. You can look them up if you want to.  
**


	6. A Living Doll With a Box

**There was a guest who asked a question in a review. I wasn't able to reply to the review seeing as I had no way to communicate back to them, but in any case the answer to their question was yes and I wish to thank them and the rest of you for reading my story. **

* * *

It was… white? Yes, that was the word. It was white - ceiling! The ceiling was white. Well it's good to get that settled.

"You're up!" The woman blinked and stared at Rory in uncertainty. "Okay, uh, what's your name? Do you have a name?" She blinked again. "Can you talk?" She didn't respond, "Okay," Rory looked at the machine the Doctor had hooked the woman to and immediately decided he shouldn't mess with it. "Well, I'm Rory."

"Ponds, Amy and Rory." He looked down at her in shock but her expression hadn't changed.

"Well, that's what the Doctor calls us."

"Hello I'm the Doctor and these are the Ponds, Amy and Rory. What's your name?" Rory's confusion cleared when he realized what she was copying.

"Oh, right, that's what the Doctor said when we met you."

"Calm down, no more running." She was actually pretty good at mimicking voices.

"Yeah, I said that."

"Yeah, I said that."

"Can you only copy things?"

"Copy things?" She scrunched her eyes together in focus. "Copy… no…. I think?"

"Yeah, that's good," Rory smiled. "Words are good."

"I… I like words." She blinked a couple of times in rapid succession before a bright smile erupted across her face. "I like words!" The woman tried to jump into a sitting position.

"No, no!" Rory pushed her back down. "You've been lying down for over an hour. If you're going to get up do it slowly." She pouted but did as he asked. He sighed. "So, you seem to be better."

"I think I am," The woman stated. Her brow furrowed, "I'm not sure what I was before, but I'm better now, I think." She tried to touch the top of her head and found the spaghetti strainer instead. "What's this?"

"Something the Doctor hooked up to get the excess," Rory struggled for the word, "Something out of your head."

"That's good," She adjusted the strainer, "I think. Well I got all the stuff out of my head now right?"

"I think so. He didn't say." She smiled.

"Well then," She took the strainer off her head and froze instantaneously.

"Ma'am," He waved hand in front of her face. She didn't react. Now concerned, Rory grabbed a flashlight and shown it in her eyes. Her pupils contracted, but no other response. He glanced at the spaghetti strainer she still held above her head and pushed it back down.

"What happened?" She resumed moving as soon as the strainer touched her scalp.

"You stopped moving when you took that thing off. I think you should keep it on your head." The Woman frowned.

"Everything that was in my mind is now in that machine." She concluded, "If I'm disconnected from it, then I become a brainless doll and can only function as one."

"Well yeah," Rory shrugged, "I guess." She frowned at the device now containing everything that made her who she is.

"So, you're Rory correct?" If Rory was startled by the sudden change in attitude he didn't show it.

"Yeah," The woman smiled.

"Good, I remembered something," She frowned. "Problem is I can't seem to remember my own name or anything else about me really. That's not so good. Well at least I know it's in this box somewhere." She tapped the machine fondly. "Good thing too, I don't think I'm someone that keeps good track of things. Or I could be someone that takes really good track of things. It's hard to tell when you can't remember who you are." She tapped her chin, "Or don't know who you are yet. That's hard to tell too."

"Well what do you want to be called?" Rory asked, "You have a whole universe of names to choose from."

"Brilliant! Ugh, no that's not it. Fantastic? No, that's not me either. Can't think of anything else, though. Oh! Names! Right, let's see. Oh, how about Jim, I like Jim. No that's terrible. I'm all boobs and… girly parts. Female, that's it. I need a female name. Joan, that's it! I'm Joan now! How's that?"

"Sounds good," She nodded happily. Rory was more 'smile and nod' himself. "So I was going to suggest we get you some new clothes once you woke up, but…" The woman looked down at the rags that were currently covering her body.

"New clothes would be nice. I don't really like the raggedy."

"How about I get a couple of things for you to try on?"

"Why?"

"Well you can't leave with-"

"We'll just take it with us." She lifted the heavy box shaped machine with ease and began walking out of the infirmary. "Might be a good idea to invest in a harness."

* * *

**A little bit of extra info. Every character in this story has existed at some point in history. Whether this is Doctor Who history, world history, or any other type of history is up in the air. In other words there are no 'OCs.' I am taking liberty with exactly how the characters act, especially characters whose personalities are not documented (Billy and Johnny) but no one is my original creation (at least not yet, there may be an actual OC if it turns out to be necessary).  
**

**So basically, have fun trying to figure out who 'Joan' is. ;p  
**


	7. To the Wardrobe

"How am I supposed to get anything on with this thing on my head?" Joan exclaimed from the TARDIS's expansive clothing room.

"Uh, try jumping into it." Rory suggested from the chair he had placed at the wardrobe's entrance, "You know."

"But that doesn't work for shirts!"

"You could try button ups," He stated, "or dresses."

"Right," She jumped out from behind a wall with a striped button up shirt, "Is this good?" Rory instantly covered his eyes.

"…Uh… no, not really."

"What's wrong? Is it the stripes?"

"… Well… you're not wearing… pants." Or trousers really, but that wasn't the major issue.

"Oh, right, knew I forgot something." She went back behind the wall and Rory let out a sigh of relief. "How's this?" The woman came back with a different top, this time wearing the appropriate undergarment. He examined her for a moment, noticing something not quite right with her chest.

"Do you have a bra on?" Rory asked. She had forgotten her pants after all.

"Bra?" Joan asked cluelessly.

"It's," Rory stuttered, "that's," He really shouldn't have to explain this, "Just follow me." The nurse grabbed the girl's arm and showed her the white garment she had discarded earlier.

"Oh that's what that thing is!" Joan exclaimed joyously before staring at it in confusion. "What do I do with it?" Rory sighed, took off her shirt, spun her around and assisted her in putting her bra back on.

"Why do I know more about this than you do?" He muttered.

"Well you have a memory." Joan chirped, "That's a good starting point." Once the item of clothing was in place Joan turned to other clothes and Rory went back to his chair. After a moment the woman returned with a new wardrobe. "Did I get everything?" Rory looked her up and down and nodded in acceptance.

"Not bad," He stated. She beamed.

"Excellent! How do I look?" Joan spun around to give Rory a better view of her new clothes. They featured a long sleeved brown corduroy dress, a red ribbon tied around her waist into a clumsy bow at her back, beat up brown hiking boots and an orange scarf. To be honest Joan's new outfit looked like something a hobo would have put together after a second hand clothes store threw out its worst selection, but at least she was decently dressed.

"Great," Rory lied, "you look just fine. Now let's get out of the wardrobe, right now." Joan looked around quickly and picked up a couple of straps that had been in the pile to her right.

"Just a moment." She knelt down to the device holding her mind's contents and wrapped the straps around it. Much to her enjoyment, they were a perfect fit. "Look, a harness!" She jumped up with the cube strapped securely to her back. "Much more convenient." Rory didn't seem that impressed as he glanced at his watch for what had to be the tenth time in the past minute. Joan frowned. "What's wrong?" Rory was somewhat startled by her inquiry.

"Nothing, just, the Doctor and Amy have been gone a while." He looked back to where the console room was. "And there's more than a slight possibility that they've gotten into trouble." Joan frowned.

"That's not good. Where'd they go?"

"Investigating," Rory stated, running a hand through his hair. "Why did I let them do that?"

"Well I'm mobile now," Joan shrugged, "We could go look for them." Rory nodded.

"If you're up for it." He stated, looking at her uncertainly. She beamed.

"Well I can't just abandon the people who… well, are the only people I know," Joan stated, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Besides, a look around might get me on the way to getting my memory back."

"Do you think you'll be able to?" Rory asked as they walked back to the control room. She nodded.

"It's in the cube somewhere. I just have to find the right place."

"Shouldn't everything in there be yours?" Rory asked with a frown, "It all came from your head." Joan shook said body part.

"There's just too much in there to belong to one person." She didn't elaborate. Rory acknowledged the thoughtful look on her face and did his best not to interrupt her thoughts until they opened the front doors. A strong wind blew them backwards with a large quantity of ash and dust.

"Close the door!" Rory exclaimed fighting the wind to prevent himself from falling over. Joan had held on to the handle and was able to push the door back in place. The duo caught their breath in the misleading silence. "That's a dust storm." Rory stated. Joan's jolted.

"Dust storm:" She stated in an almost robotic voice, "noun. A strong, turbulent wind that carries clouds of fine dust, soil, and sand over a large area." The woman blinked twice and shook her head to dislodge whatever had just happened from her head. "Do you have a dictionary in there?" Rory asked in confusion. "Must have." Joan shrugged. The nurse looked back at the doors. "Amy and the Doctor are out there somewhere." He stated in distress, "They must have gotten caught in the storm." "It'll end sometime," Joan stated, something in her mind telling her that it was true. "We can go look for them then." Rory nodded but kept his eyes on the door. "Yeah, we'll just have to do that."

"How am I supposed to get anything on with this thing on my head?" Joan exclaimed from the TARDIS's expansive clothing room.

"Uh, try jumping into it." Rory suggested from the chair he had placed at the wardrobe's entrance, "You know."

"But that doesn't work for shirts!"

"You could try button ups," He stated, "or dresses."

"Right," She jumped out from behind a wall with a white button up shirt, "Is this good?" Rory instantly covered his eyes.

"…Uh… no, not really."

"What's wrong? Is it the stripes?"

"… Well… you're not wearing… _pants_." Or trousers really, but that wasn't the major issue.

"Oh, right, knew I forgot something." She went back behind the wall and Rory let out a sigh of relief. "How's this?" The woman came back with a different top, this time wearing the appropriate undergarment. He examined her for a moment, noticing something not quite right with her chest.

"Do you have a bra on?" Rory asked. She had forgotten her pants after all.

"Bra?" Joan asked cluelessly.

"It's," Rory stuttered, "that's," He really shouldn't have to explain this, "Just follow me." The nurse grabbed the girl's arm and showed her the white garment she had discarded earlier.

"Oh that's what that thing is!" Joan exclaimed joyously before staring at it in confusion. "What do I do with it?" Rory sighed, took off her shirt, spun her around and assisted her in putting her bra back on.

"Why do I know more about this than you do?" He muttered.

"Well you have a memory." Joan chirped, "That's a good starting point." Once the item of clothing was in place Joan turned to other clothes and Rory went back to his chair. After a moment the woman returned with a new wardrobe. "Did I get everything?" Rory looked her up and down and nodded in acceptance.

"Not bad," He stated. She beamed.

"Excellent! How do I look?" Joan spun around to give Rory a better view of her new clothes. They featured a long sleeved brown corduroy dress, a red ribbon tied around her waist into a clumsy bow at her back, beat up brown hiking boots and an orange scarf. To be honest Joan's new outfit looked like something a hobo would have put together after a second hand clothes store threw out its worst selection, but at least she was decently dressed.

"Great," Rory lied, "you look just fine. Now let's get out of the wardrobe, right now." Joan looked around quickly and picked up a couple of straps that had been in the pile to her right.

"Just a moment." She knelt down to the device holding her mind's contents and wrapped the straps around it. Much to her enjoyment, they were a perfect fit. "Look, a harness!" She jumped up with the cube strapped securely to her back. "Much more convenient." Rory didn't seem that impressed as he glanced at his watch for what had to be the tenth time in the past minute. Joan frowned. "What's wrong?" Rory was somewhat startled by her inquiry.

"Nothing, just, the Doctor and Amy have been gone a while." He looked back to where the console room was. "And there's more than a slight possibility that they've gotten into trouble." Joan frowned.

"That's not good. Where'd they go?"

"Investigating," Rory stated, running a hand through his hair. "Why did I let them do that?"

"Well I'm mobile now," Joan shrugged, "We could go look for them." Rory nodded.

"If you're up for it." He stated, looking at her uncertainly. She beamed.

"Well I can't just abandon the people who… well, are the only people I know," Joan stated, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Besides, a look around might get me on the way to getting my memory back."

"Do you think you'll be able to?" Rory asked as they walked back to the control room. She nodded.

"It's in the cube somewhere. I just have to find the right place."

"Shouldn't everything in there be yours?" Rory asked with a frown, "It all came from your head." Joan shook said body part.

"There's just too much in there to belong to one person." She didn't elaborate. Rory acknowledged the thoughtful look on her face and did his best not to interrupt her thoughts until they opened the front doors. A strong wind blew them backwards with a large quantity of ash and dust.

"Close the door!" Rory exclaimed fighting the wind to prevent himself from falling over. Joan had held on to the handle and was able to push the door back in place. The duo caught their breath in the misleading silence. "That's a dust storm." Rory stated. Joan's jolted.

"Dust storm:" She stated in an almost robotic voice, "noun. A strong, turbulent wind that carries clouds of fine dust, soil, and sand over a large area." The woman blinked twice and shook her head to dislodge whatever had just happened from her head.

"Do you have a dictionary in there?" Rory asked in confusion.

"Must have." Joan shrugged. The nurse looked back at the doors.

"Amy and the Doctor are out there somewhere." He stated in distress, "They must have gotten caught in the storm."

"It'll end sometime," Joan stated, something in her mind telling her that it was true. "We can go look for them then." Rory nodded but kept his eyes on the door.

"Yeah, we'll just have to do that."


End file.
